Mass Effect: Your Legacy
by Eyes of Pure
Summary: You wake up after a crash landing with no recollection of who you are or where you came from. The only indication of life is a ship's AI, VIC, that is your only source of information. However, with recurring dreams about the Reapers and your origins, you must find Shepard in order to discover your past and who you are. Rating due to colorful language.
1. Suit Up

Waking up in a field was one thing for you. Sometimes there was the rare night where you drank one shot too many and woke up in a hung-over haze at a strange place. Maybe naked.

Waking up in a field surrounded by wreckage and guns was another thing entirely. You try remembering how you got here, but the details are fuzzy. The smell of sequestered carbon dioxide escaping burns your lungs as a ship is eaten away by flames. You struggle to prop yourself up on your elbows and your body aches and shakes occasionally with shock.

You hear a high pitch whirring by your ear and find small metal arms clicking their tendrils together.

"Oh, good. You're awake." The cheery voice is coming from a spherical body. The three LED lights on what could be its forehead blink synchronously as it speaks.

A robot? No…an AI.

"If you don't mind me asking…Who are you? My records don't include another living passenger on the ship and protocol requires me to know of every individual that inhabits the ship." It continues to click.

You stagger to get up and finally survey the totality of the wreck.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the ship is completely obliterated, so…it's irrelevant."

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Irrelevant." The miniature machine stretches out one of its tendrils and you shake it with a few of your fingers warily.

"Actually, my name isn't Irrelevant, its…"

Its…what is it? You remember what you were doing and the events that happened that led up to you blacking out on the spaceship. Maybe. Why is something as inherent as your name suddenly seem absent?

"I don't remember my name?"

"Is that a question or a statement? It is an inconvenience when questions are posed in this way. Obviously, I cannot answer them."

"Both?"

The AI hummed angrily and clicked its tendrils together. "Then I have a solution. Until the time comes when you remember your name, you and your data file will share the same title: Irre."

"Eery?" You can see the ship you crashed in was no larger than a greyhound bus, but still massive considering you have never been on a ship before.

"Please make your queries purposeful so that I may answer them clearly. Irre is short for Irrelevant. All files in my database are shortened to four ciphers."

You nod and start searching the debris for anything useful. The flames seem to die down more, but made the majority of the ship itself inaccessible. The guns seemed oddly shaped and sleeker than the old pistols and rifles you kept. You separated those that weren't damaged from the impact of the crash.

"You may want to grab some of those medi-gels near the Captain."

The AI twirled around and motioned over to the former captain lying motionless on the ground. You absentmindedly started towards the captain, but that's when it occurred to you. Medi-gel only existed in Mass Effect, so why was an AI telling you to go grab a pack. Why was there even an AI?

You looked back at the AI that seemed to cock its head-body to the side. It gestured towards the captain in a shooing motion.

The packs were strewn about and close to the body. You find a bag that slung snugly around your shoulder and filled it with the gel and a few ration packs. The bag only had one area where a pistol could be allocated.

"Perhaps, you should take the captain's armor? He will not need it. This way you may increase weapon capacity." You could see the merits of having armor and being able to carry the three guns you managed to salvage. However, you find it odd that the AI mentioned gun capacity after you discerned you could only carry one.

"Isn't that grave robbing?" You tugged at the corpse's suit and it gave way easily enough.

"I do not understand. There is no grave." It clicked.

"I meant stealing from the dead!" You blew out a frustrated breath.

"There is no need to shout. You should have just clarified from the beginning." It whizzed and beeped while its tendrils worked at disrobing and separating the man from his armor.

You notice the detailing on the armor from a human interest group you were very familiar with. White panels, yellow lining, black fabric…

"I can't wear this."

"Why not? You are without any external protection other than the guns. There are other life forms on this planet and without this armor your chances of survival are miniscule."

"It's Cerberus armor. Even if I make it out of here, I could get shot on the spot."

It seemed to be mulling over what was just said as it hummed quietly and hovered closer to you.

"This is true. You could die later. However, the rules of probability state that chances you are to be shot later is 0% if you do not attempt to survive now."

"What?"

"I am not well rehearsed in consoling humans."

"That's apparent." You watch it buzz away towards the hull of the ship.

You shake your head and begin to pull the man away from his armor. The AI was right, or at least logical, and if Mass Effect was any indication there was bound to be something that was trigger happy around every- well, most- corners. You felt horrible for depriving the dead captain of his dignity in death, but you would do it if there was a slim chance of survival.

You slip the gear on and the woven material is durable and flexible. The plates fit loosely and you soon discover why. The impact had warped the armor so it no longer fit correctly.

The familiar sound of the AI clicking returned and you heard a thump beside you. You look down and find more armor sets, but with less adornments. You look at the AI oddly.

"I could've just worn these instead of stripping that poor man!"

"Not possible. Due to his position, the materials in his armor are more efficient and expensive. You need to use the shields provided by one of the other armors."

"The impact would have disabled most shields." You try the shield just to check and hear a 'pop' coming from the suit.

"Precisely, my human friend."

The white plates were now replaced by the black arm and leg guards and you tested your newly operating shield. You approved of the now all-black armor with yellow threading. It would help to not be associated with Cerberus at first glance. However, there was one more thing.

You felt around the left breast area where you knew the logo would be and ripped it off before throwing it on the ground. You attached each gun to the new suit and they seemed to easily slide and lock into place.

"We should head out before anyone gets curious about that really loud ship crash that's only a few yards away from us." You state sarcastically.

"I cannot go with you."

"Really? Ditching so early?" You scoff.

"No, I am a ship's AI. I cannot leave the ship unless someone gives me control."

Of course. You could have facepalmed for almost forgetting. EDI needed to be unshackled before gaining full control and eventually being able to use a body to travel outside the ship.

"I have this vessel that I can travel in, but I would need to transfer the data from the ship to the console." It spun in the air, it's long tendrils following the circular movement.

"So what do I have to do?"

"Since all humans on the ship are physically compromised…."

"That's a nice way of saying it."

"Command passes down to those that survive. You are my new Captain. You can unshackle me."

"Do it. We're running out of time."

You readjust the bag of medi-gel and watch the AI as the lights seem to dim. The high pitched thrum slows to a creak. The field becomes deathly silent the first time since you woke up. The AI hovers listlessly in front of you and you are able to catch your appearance in the silvery reflection.

The face is definitely yours, but different. Same eyes, but different color. Same face, but more defined and mature. The body covered in black and yellow armor is more athletic than you remembered. You recognize it immediately as 'Shepard' or what Shepard looked like when you modeled the savior of the universe after yourself during gameplay. The resemblance was uncanny, but you could still see your distinct features.

You were snapped out of your thoughts when the metal creak once more turned into an incessant buzzing indicating the AI finished transferring data.

"We need to leave the vicinity soon, Captain." It began to trail off into the field. Curious, you tail it.

"Well, I'm glad with the change of heart, but why so sudden."

"I sensed other synthetic units closing in on our location, so I programed the ship to self-destruct in 60 seconds."

"What the fuck! You couldn't warn me earlier?!"

"I just did, Captain." The three lights seemed to blink innocently.

You grab the AI and tuck it into your arm before you begin sprinting across the field.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Halfway across, you can hear the sound of bullets whistling past your ear.

You duck behind a rock and thank the game that there was never a shortage of rocks to duck behind.

5…4…3…2…1.

You cover your ears anticipating the blast, but it doesn't come.

"Are you sure you-" Your ears were assaulted with a deafening crack as the ship imploded upon itself.

* * *

Hello. I'm Isle. If you haven't noticed already, the entire story will be written in 2nd person. That's because you, Irre the gamer, are the main character of this story. In order to write this story properly, I'm going to eventually need a beta. I've never written anything in 2nd person and there are some kinks I need to work out.

Also, since this is the very beginning I don't want to make stuff as I go without including you, the main character. There are a few important aspects I want you readers to establish before I write anything else. You can review (constructive criticism is most welcome and I'm certainly not a pro) and tell me what you think there. Also, guests can review, so even if you don't have a fanfic account you can put your input in. Or if you're shy you can PM me. You don't even have to leave an awkward message. Just send me the basics.

Here's what I need:

Irre's class: This will determine powers, weapons, and extra power (a poll for class is also located on my profile)

Alignment: Paragon or Renegade

Year: Determines powers and events. Just choose any year in the ME timeline. Or choose one from these: Before 2183, 2183, 2184, 2185, 2186, After 2186

Then I'll make with the chapter two. Even if only one person PMs me.


	2. Egregious Ship Perils

You huddle close to the rock to avoid shrapnel and debris raining down from the blast. A powdery, silver substance conceals the field in a mist-like fog. You cover your nose to avoid breathing it in, but it manages to burn your nose all the same.

The force of the blast causes momentary hearing loss and you cringe at the ringing sound in your ear. You watch the AI flit around you. You know it's talking because of the erratic blinking, but it's barely audible.

-u mus- - -

Cap-, -.

Synth-, - -ing closer.

Finally understanding, you automatically reach for the assault rifle attached to your back. You peer over the rock formation while two Batarian cannibals and...the Captain lurch towards your general direction. You let off two shots that slow the Batarians down, but they're still moving steadily towards you. You duck under the rock again as electric pulses fly past where your head was moments ago.

"I would suggest aiming for their vitals." The AI buzzed. It seemed chirpy despite all the chaos. It was unnerving.

"Because I'm not already trying." You huff and peer over the rock again.

The cannibals were closing the gap with only ten yards separating you. You will yourself to shoot, letting your eyes aim and your arm line up the shot. A cannibal crumples just as the back of his head explodes with blue fluid.

You aim for the second cannibal, but the former captain, now turned husk, picks up speed and screeches as its arms flail violently. He reaches out towards you and you can feel the electric pulses displacing the air around you. You fire a shot into its abdomen and he falls to pieces in front of you letting out a dying howl.

You turn towards the last cannibal and empty your clip into it and watch it fall down lifeless. You let out a breath of relief you didn't know you were holding.

Where the hell did that come from? Sure, you owned guns, but you were far from an expert or a good shot. However, when you pulled the trigger it was second nature to you. You extend your arm towards one of the dead cannibals and fire.

Headshot.

You make note to get a sniper rifle as soon as possible.

"Captain, more synthetics approaching."

"How do we get away?"

"You could run."

"I meant a more long-term solution."

You cradle the AI under your arm and sprint towards the end of the field managing to escape from the silvery powder assaulting your lungs.

"God, what is this shit?" You cover your mouth and let out a series of muffled coughs.

"The former Captain was delivering shipments of eezo to a testing facility." The AI never mentioned where.

"Top secret, need to know basis stuff, huh. Why am I not surprised?" You scan the area and notice a bulky form sticking out from behind colossal rock forms.

"Not top-secret. The shipment was heading for Pragia." The AI buzzed.

"Pragia? The biotic facility." You answered your own question putting two and two together. Jack was a test subject in Pragia. Could she still be there?

You could think about it later. First, you needed to get off this rock. You survey the area, certain nothing was watching you, and dart over to the rock formation. You stick your head out from behind the rocks to find out what was hidden just after it. You find an abandoned, rusted frigate half-covered in debris and sand.

"I wonder how long this has been here."

You crawl between the rock and the ship and place your fingers against the ridges searching for a door or an opening. You finally find what looks like an interface set into a monitor. You stop as you hear creaking from movement within the ship.

"Hey, listen!"

You and the AI sit, or in the AI's case hover, silently outside the frigate. You reach for the pistol strapped to the bag and motion the AI towards the monitor.

"Hack it while I take point."

The AI floats over to the monitor while you press yourself flat against the ship. You hear what sounds like a latch unlock and air release from compression as the little tendrils from the AI work away. A door slides open slowly and you ready yourself.

As the door slows to a halt, you can barely hear the shallow intake of breath. A hoarse scream comes from inside and you hear the pounding of footsteps as a husk runs out full speed, cracking it's skull against the rock just outside the ship in the process. It seems unaffected by the impact as it scrambles in the small space towards you. You put two bullets in its head and it falls and lodges itself in the small space between the ship and rock. Upon inspection, you realize it used to be a Salarian.

You wait listening for any more signs of life, or unlife. Hearing nothing, you cautiously step over the husk towards the entrance to the ship. You peek into it, gun leading the way and find it empty.

"Actually, for a husk inhabited place, it's pretty spacious." You muse.

"Style and tech suggest that it is a Salarian battleship." The AI quips.

"I figured that, you know. The whole…Salarian husk being in it."

You notice something glowing in a glass case. Tubes and wiring were intricately wrapped in sinewy layers while a blue glow emits from circular knobs. It's reaper tech.

"That poor Salarian bastard managed to get indoctrinated by this. I wonder where he found it." You see a stack of files and read the label.

'Project Jartar.'

You notice details about Batarians and STG, but your attention was pulled elsewhere by a dull humming. It seems like words, but in a language you can't distinguish. You search everywhere for the source and finally settle on the reaper tech. The glow emitting from it becomes brighter, but you could hear it clearly now, like a mantra.

"_**Our goals are your goals. We must preserve the balance**_."

"Okay…now, that's creepy."

You use the pistol to crack the glass and it shatters.

"Now what?"

You muse over different ways to destroy it. Shooting it just seemed like a waste of ammo.

"Fire would be the most efficient way to rid of this." The AI prods the tech with its long tendrils.

You look suspiciously at the AI tech. Every time you receded into your mind, it seemed to know what you were thinking. Did it just pick up on your body language or was there more to this?

"I suppose we could stick it on the engine pipe." The blast of the engines starting would melt the tech into useless scrap.

"Excellent idea, Captain!"

You grab the glowy tech, but as you do you hear the mantra louder in your mind. You idly wonder if it was possible for it to take over your mind. Obviously not. You felt nothing, nor were you influenced by it. In fact, you could clearly see what it was attempting to do to you, but it was failing. You travel outside the ship and place the tech in the pipe leading towards the engines.

You glance at it and the glow seemed to dim slightly and then stopped emitting light completely. The mantra stopped. You backtrack what you were doing before it stopped.

"Why aren't you glowing anymore?"

The reaper tech responded by glowing once more. You look at it incredulously and begin heading back into the ship. Fuck that. You didn't even want to start thinking of the implications that entailed. But, you did anyways. Unintentionally obsessing over things was a force of habit.

The single deduction you could come to was that it heard you speaking to yourself. It wasn't that impossible. You recall the derelict reaper that managed to indoctrinate an entire Cerberus crew. It wasn't fully functioning or working, yet it still managed to sway their thoughts. It must have been able to know what they were thinking, even befuddling them as they grasped for some semblance of reason while their memories left them. Meaning…the reaper tech could hear your thoughts.

You were ruminating over how the reaper's influence on you was futile…so, it shut off. You spoke to it, so it turned on again. You reached the doors of the ship and hit a control on a panel that closed the door behind you.

So, it could read your mind, but that didn't explain the AI knowing your thoughts. Unless, it was reaper tech. However, that was impossible. It already associated itself with Cerberus and guessing how recent the crash was there wasn't enough time to change the AI into a reaper droid. So, it wasn't the AI.

"You are correct in that assumption." The tendrils waved to you from the cockpit.

You walk towards the cockpit where the spherical AI was nesting in the pilot's chair. It was messing with the knobs and controls at the front of the ship.

"And, what assumption would that be?" You cross your arms over your chest.

"I am not the one responsible for knowing your thoughts."

It pushes a control and lights stream from a strip starting at the cockpit to the end of the ship. Bulbs blink on from above and gauges illuminate the ship from the cockpit. It hits another control and the engines fire on.

"Wait, can you even drive this thing?" You sit down in the only remaining seat of the cockpit.

"Of course, I'm a ship's AI." Duh.

You feel vibrations from the floor beneath and a heavy sway as the ship lifts from the layers of sand it was buried in. You gaze out the cockpit window and watch as a small army of husk race towards the ship. They were alerted to the area by the sound of engines. As the ship lifts far beyond the reach of husks and cannibals, you can see the Cerberus ship you crashed in, including ship parts you didn't recognize. They were more organic in form. Whatever it was, it would be gone soon. The cannibals were violently ripping it apart.

You can hear a loud drone coming from the engine and felt momentum push you hard into the chair as the ship picked up speed. You watched as layers of dust and grit hit the window until finally you could see the dark reaches of space. It was a relief to leave that planet.

You turn towards the AI steering the ship.

"Talk, _now_."

"What subject are we chatting about? You will have to be more specific with your inquiries."

The three LED lights turned towards you and tendrils pointed at you accusatorily.

"You stated earlier that you weren't responsible for knowing my thoughts. If not, who is?"

You propped your legs up on a bar in front of you waiting for the reply.

"You are, Captain."

* * *

Wow, chapter two already. Hope you enjoy reading just as much as I enjoy writing this.

Remember, review with these details about Irre. I don't even know what to do with myself right now. There are so many ways to write this, but you can help. Just choose a class, alignment, and year. Go, my readers. Review.

Irre's class: This will determine powers, weapons, and extra power (a poll for class is also located on my profile)

Alignment: Paragon or Renegade

Year: Determines powers and events. Just choose any year in the ME timeline. Or choose one from these: Before 2183, 2183, 2184, 2185, 2186, After 2186


	3. Vessel Intelligence Console

From the numerous outcomes of answers you expected, this was not one of them. Your recall wasn't at 100% considering you couldn't recollect your name, but you were entirely certain telepathy wasn't in your repertoire.

"I don't remember having the ability to read minds, so do explain." You say acerbically, but a part of you was truly apprehensive.

"It is not reading minds. The ability to read minds doesn't exist and is fictional." Despite being an AI, it seemed to enjoy correcting you.

"So, how is it that you can hear, not read, my thoughts?"

You lean forward and watch the AI shift in the pilot's chair. Its tendrils hover over the controls on the ship looking for something. The tendrils manage to find it and one of the screens flash as it brings up 'autopilot.' The AI floats towards you. You realize you had its undivided attention.

"I'm aware that humans do not have the ability you do. Otherwise, I would have been alerted more often as AI on MSV Tempest."

"That's the ship we crashed in, correct?" You remember the charred remains of debris that used to be the Tempest and the remnants the husks viciously destroyed.

"Yes. When you finally woke, you were trying to remember your name, so I gave you one."

"By the way, my name sucks. Couldn't I have a new name? Like Ash, or Devyn, Alex?" You note airily.

"Focus, Captain. When you ran out of capacity to carry weapons, I suggested taking armor. You wanted to dispose of that 'reaper' tech efficiently, and I proposed fire."

Tendrils click before you feel them holding your head lightly. You can feel the cool tips pressing gently against your scalp.

"When I need something, you can hear me." You realize then. The reaper tech was aware of you wanting to see it react because you needed confirmation that it was still working.

"Yes, you project your voice on others. It is a 'song' you use. You are doing it now, at this very moment, without realizing it." The AI's eyes grow brighter as a holographic screen forms in front of it. It types data in a file titled 'IRRE' with its tendrils.

"I demanded you to explain. And, here you are explaining away." You reach up and undo the tendrils wrapped around your head.

"Are you uncomfortable with my way of studying?" The AI asks in an apologetic tone.

"Slightly. You could buy me a drink first."

The AI seems annoyed. A grinding sound like gears clicking in place reverberates from within the spherical body in front of you.

"That tech we just destroyed. I could not hear it, but I knew by your song that you could. When you held it, it became louder. I was testing to see if by direct contact the same thing occurred."

You raise your brows as tendrils once again latch onto your skull.

"If we're going to get friendly can I at least know what to call you?"

"I am VIC. Vessel Intelligence Console."

"That's what they called you on the ship? Vic?"

"No, then, I was VIN: Vessel Intelligence Network."

"Of course you were." You state, exasperated. "So, what's the diagnosis?"

"You do not become louder with direct contact. It seems you are not comparable to the tech. Being organic, this is no surprise. The likeness ends with the skill to project without sound, a similarity shared with the Rachni."

"Can I…influence others?"

You find the thought startling. The idea of having more in common with Reapers was the last thing you wanted to hear.

"It is a possibility. I am synthetic, so I do not 'feel' influence. I simply choose whether or not I want to indulge you. Organics may not be able to hear or understand it."

"So...theoretically, exposure to my thoughts long enough could make people think my thoughts are their own."

"Theoretically, that is unknown."

You groan.

"I need someplace to test this. And, figure out how to turn it off."

"Where do we go, Captain?" Vic retracted its metal fingerlings from your scalp and returned to the pilot's seat.

"Somewhere desolate. Preferably an area where no one would care that I have several guns strapped to my back."

"I'll set a course for Omega."

The AI flicked the controls with its tendrils and typed in the coordinates on a holo monitor. The ships engines droned purposefully as it set off on its course.

The revelation, that you could control people, weighed heavily on your mind. You opted for distracting yourself with the ship's mechanics. You glance at the ship beyond the cockpit and find it linear in design with small stations set up on either side of the ship.

On the right, the shattered case where the reaper piece used to be lie in shards. Beside it, a lab station housed a stack of files labeled 'Project Jartar' and a microscope. On the left, a laboratory and a shower took up a nook of space. A large, metal cabinet was located just outside the shower. Towards the end, a single sleeping pod was lodged into the wall near a desk and monitor. The monitor displayed stats for multiple guns and such guns were just below the monitor and lying on the desk. You stride over to it and pick up one of the guns you easily identified.

Sleek, black and high calibured. A Widow.

You pick the rifle up and relish in the weight. It's heavier than you thought. Facing the cockpit window, you look through the scope at the flurry of asteroids.

"Hey, Vic. Guess what I found."

You grin and pat the sniper rifle as it rests on your shoulder.

"That would be the Widow V."

"You know, projecting my thoughts is going to take all the fun out of surprises."

"I didn't have to read your thoughts to document it. I saw it immediately when I first entered the ship."

You return the rifle to its resting place on the table and pick up another weapon.

"So you're a weapon's expert and a ship's AI?"

"I am required to keep inventory. Identifying weapons is commonplace."

You weigh the weapon in your hand. It appeared to be a pistol, but outfitted heavily with mods. It looked like a mini SMG.

"That is an M-5 Phalanx." Vic chirped from the cockpit.

The pistol attached to your belt was flimsy compared to the gun in your hand. You switched them immediately and continued looking at the collection of weapons. Each gun was state of the art and impressively modded. You curiously wonder about the Salarian, the former inhabitant of the ship, and who he was. Obviously, he wasn't just a civilian.

The monitor glows a bright orange with the weapon stats. You notice the base damage for the Widow is 368.3 before you close out of that menu and look for indications that would identify the Salarian husk. There are numerous files in the system marked with names. You open one out of curiosity marked 'T'loak.'

Several pictures of Aria T'loak appear with an iron sight icon marked beside her name. Whoever the Salarian was, he had Aria in his sights and not in a good way. Then again, nothing concerning Aria T'loak was ever good.

A small amount of info was located on the dossier. You quickly read through the information knowing it would be beneficial to avoid the pirate queen at all costs. Researching a little more couldn't hurt. You didn't want to step on her toes and you had no illusions; Omega was Aria's turf.

Your eyes hit the bottom of the dossier on a few names with asterisks beside them. Some of them you recognized, including Liselle. You recalled she was one of Kai Leng's victims.

Liselle: Deceased

Relation: Daughter

Your eyes widen at the discovery. You weren't aware that the ice queen had a daughter. It explained Aria's personality, but only a little. Mourning mothers normally didn't run around a space station being a killer, thief, and overall outlaw. You felt pity for Aria for a millisecond before you remembered she was a cold-hearted bitch.

You exit out of the folder and skim through other folders. For what seems like minutes, you come up with no results. Finally, you find a folder marked 'ship operative' and open it. The title was vague enough and the details are minimal without a photo.

Jadranth Kilak

Age: 26

Class: Infiltrator

Status: Spectre

Current Location: Earth Alliance Space-Hades Gamma-Dis

That's why it was ambiguous. A spectre. From all the ships you could have salvaged, you managed to discover the one that would be sorely missed by the council. Or, maybe not. After all, remaining under the radar was a spectre's key attribute. You could make it to Omega without being pinged or detected by anyone as long as you acted with caution.

You also had no idea how long the spectre had disappeared. How important was the mission he was currently on? Most likely, the council was looking for him.

"Vic, do we have stealth systems on the ship? It would help if we weren't spotted by council ships or pirates."

"This ship is outfitted with lithium heatsinks. It will prevent us from emitting heat and allow us to remain undetected. However, there is room for improvement."

You grin. The statement sounded like the beginning of a side mission given to Shepard. Just this once, you would humor the AI.

"What can I do to improve it?" You prop yourself on the metal cabinet, crossing your arms over your chest.

"The easiest way is to take care of recognizable details. Upgrade the ship and repair it. I can tell by the engines that there is sand trapped in the core. Also, a paint job could not hurt." Vic seemed amused.

"No, it couldn't, but we need money to do that."

As the words left your mouth, you remembered you were on a spectre's ship. You start rummaging through the metal cabinets and smirk as you find what you were searching for. A credit chit was resting on a pile of folded clothes and dog tags. A spectre's credit chit was probably a goldmine. After all, it was understood that spectres' had unlimited resources at their discretion. The fully modded Widow was proof of that.

A new paint job, indeed.

You found your way to the front of the ship and plop down in the co-pilot's chair.

"Vic, what's our ETA?" You prop your legs on the bar in front of you and settle into the cushiony leather chair.

"Estimated time of arrival is eight hours."

"Wake me up when we're close." You feel your eyes droop and you're lulled to sleep by the soft drone of engines.

* * *

Three.

I get to reveal all the votes next chapter. However, if you want to put last minute input in do not be afraid to review. Send me class and morality (are we good or bad?).

Please let me know your thoughts! Like if my story sucks, is boring, or is the best thing since they put cookie dough in ice cream...hah. I've got plenty of room for improvement.


	4. Special Imaginary Delivery

You focused on the roar of the V6 engine and advertisements on the radio as you desperately try to stay awake. You got off work twenty minutes ago and made the commute back home. Your job was alright, but it was a headache. Honestly, you were just waiting for a better one to come along with more pay and less hours. Eventually that would happen, but you would settle for the economic stability for now.

You pulled up into your short driveway attached to an apartment complex and note how murky the sky is. You see a few lightning bolts streak the sky in white, but they don't make any sound. You chalk it up to static in the atmosphere.

As you're walking towards the front door, a piercing sound like a screech invades your thoughts and you look up. Long arms break through cloud formations along with the massive body of a reaper. They land and you watch stupefied as the first beam fires accompanied by a loud, haunting drone.

_VRUUUUUUUN._

The reaper shoots a streamline of red in a pathway leading to your neighborhood. You run away from the complex just in time to see it implode and collapse under a blast. You make a break for your car, but the handles are melted together.

You run towards your neighbor's place further down the street. Maybe she could help you. You desperately sprint as you hear the drone.

_VRUUUUUUUN._

You are 100 yards from your neighbor's house when you hear a voice like an incessant hum. It's pulling you away from the apartment in front of you. You try to move towards the house; however, you are petrified, but not in fear. No matter how hard you attempt to move nearer your body won't respond.

You struggle mentally and will yourself to go forward, but your body turns slightly and, on its own accord, starts walking towards the tree line nearby. You enter the woods and your body stumbles haphazardly on the uneven ground. You wince as your face is struck with an outstretched branch.

Beyond the tree line and hidden behind shrubbery, a small ship is resting on broken saplings. The shape is insect or squid-like in form. You panic internally as you realize the ship resembles a dwarfed version of the reaper. A feeling of dread seeps in as your body moves involuntarily towards a lowered entrance into the ship. You fight fiercely to move backwards, but your body continues and enters the ship. You are enveloped in darkness as you hear the entrance close behind you.

You feel the tight grasp of whatever was pulling you into the ship relinquish and you regain control of your body. You fumble to get your bearings and try to explore the dark cavern. Instead of walls, you feel textured grooves and flesh-like pockets. You search for anything that could get you off the ship: a button, an opening, a door.

After finding nothing, you walk towards where you sensed the entrance was. You can feel the ridges of the opening and push your body against it yielding no results. You do it again, harder. It's no use you're stuck.

After several more attempts, your breathing becomes labored and each intake becomes shorter than the last. You huff now and each intake of breath to fill your lungs pains you. You are running out of oxygen.

You scramble for the entrance and push with the last of your strength. You feel it shift slowly behind you and a sliver of light breaks through the small crack, but your energy runs out from the exertion. You collapse on the door and watch as the sliver of sunlight dissipates in front of you. You shallowly breathe now, attempting to conserve your oxygen, but you feel the familiar sensation of oxygen disappearing as your lungs struggle to expand.

Fatigued, you wait as your breath becomes shorter. With the lack of oxygen, you can feel your head beginning to pound as a headache develops quickly. You take your last breath and feel numbness envelope you along with a feeling of sheer terror. You can no longer tell if your eyes are open or closed as you drift off.

You struggle to clutch to your consciousness and feel your eyes open. You are tremendously drained and scarcely able to see. Your vision is hazy and two figures above you are out of focus. The obscured figures huddle close to you and look down at you with blue glowing eyes. They are prodding you softly. You experience a sharp sensation on your lower abdomen before passing out.

Your eyes flutter open and you find the orange glow of lights and ship gauges around you. You sit up from the leather seat and clutch your pounding head in your hands.

What was all that? A dream? It felt real, though.

"Captain, are you all right? You are exhibiting signs of fatigue." The AI chirps.

"No, I don't think so. Think I had a nightmare." You respond while rubbing your temple gently.

"Humans typically have nightmares. They are dreams that cause oppression through anxiety and terror." Vic recites.

"I know what a nightmare is. Not why I'm having them." You spat back.

You were always cranky after waking up. Always? Huh, you could remember waking up cranky, but not your name. This reminds you….

"Vic." You call.

"Captain?" The sphere tilts towards you slightly.

"At the time I mentioned picking a new name, I wasn't serious. I may have to anyways."

"No." The AI says cheerily before turning back to the front.

You stare at it in disbelief.

"No? I can't change my name." You ask.

"That is correct."

You slink back into the chair and brace yourself for what could be a painfully annoying experience.

"And, why not?"

"We agreed you would change your name when you remembered your real one."

Ah, so it was a technical thing. AIs were funny like that. You decided to avoid a headache and compromise with Vic.

"Irrelevant isn't a human name. We won't stay under the radar if I go around addressing myself as 'Irre.'"

"You are arriving at a conclusion." It responds flippantly.

You ignore the fact that you were just sassed by an AI.

"Instead of changing my name, we can add to it. I need a surname. And, a middle." You propose.

Vic was silent for a second. It seemed to consider it.

"Humans have two names, so I will be able to add to your file; however, the title will remain as IRRE."

That worked better than you thought. You pinch your temple and feel your headache going away slightly.

The AIs tendrils hover over the controls and the see the 'autopilot' come on. Vic turns towards you and blue lustrous holo screens appear from the three tiny projectors on what could be a forehead. You begin to type in the name of one of the Shepards from your save files, but stop.

Could it be possible that one of the Shepards you made could be running around in this universe? You also weren't aware if the Shepard here was male or female. Actually, nothing indicated that there even was a "Shepard" in this universe. You wave off the idea. There must be a Shepard, somewhere. It was their universe, after all. Not yours.

You focus on coming up with a name. Something that wasn't completely off-the-wall and simple.

Finley.

Harper. No. Then you would share a name with the illusive man.

Quinn.

Sage.

Sage sounded right. However, the irony wasn't lost on you. Sages were all-knowing bearers of wisdom and you couldn't remember who you were. You type it into the glowing screen in front of you and grin as you move Irre towards the middle.

S-a-g-e.

I-r-r-e.

D-r-a-k-e.

You saved it before Vic could say anything about the placement.

"I saw that." Vic sounded entertained.

"Oh, I know." You smirk.

You lean forward in your chair when you see red cloudy formations concealing the space station, Omega. The image looks more foreboding in actuality than it did in the game. You begin to second guess your decision of coming here alone. Then again, you weren't completely alone. You had an AI.

However, you doubted anyone in Omega would just ignore the fact that they saw a small robot following you around everywhere. Even worse, you knew someone would try to take him away or mug you for him.

Him? Since when was 'it' a 'he.' You presumed you just made the connection since the voice coming out of the AI was definitely male. Maybe you were growing fond of him.

Your thoughts are interrupted with the sound of speakers crackling and a gruff voice coming through.

"State your business."

Seriously, since when did Omega start screening ships?

"We're here for services rendered." You quip from your side of the cockpit.

"Be specific." The impatient voice said on the other side.

"We are…a delivery service." You cringe at the pause in your voice.

"Yeah, delivery my ass," responded the voice, "I'll be waiting in the entrance, so don't get cute."

The speaker makes a popping noise signaling the end of the conversation. You sit back in your chair and huff.

"An interesting attempt, Captain, but the battleship gives us away."

"I know that. I couldn't just say we're here to see if I can use my Jedi mind tricks on you."

"That makes no sense…"

You realize your references were outdated now that you were in…what year was it?

"A more appropriate reason would be that we came here for inexpensive upgrades for the ship which also happens to be true." Vic continued.

"Yeah, yeah." You wave Vic off, but you were wary of meeting the owner of the gruff voice. After a short silence, Vic spoke.

"It is 2184."

You raise your brow at the AI. Knowing Vic was in-tune with your train of thoughts wasn't alarming, but seeing it in action was disconcerting.

"Make sure you don't do that when we get off the ship. It's odd and will make people apprehensive."

"Obviously." He replied.

You comprehended he was talking about you. You shake your head out aggravation, but you knew it was true. You stood and stretched before heading towards the weapons bench. If you were going to walk about in Omega, you would not be without firepower. You attach the heavy pistol, a submachine gun, and the sniper rifle to your back.

The year, 2184. It meant that the citadel was saved from Sovereign, but Shepard was dead. His or her meat guts were already in the hands of Cerberus. Just thinking of Cerberus made the bile rise in your throat. You didn't hate Cerberus before, but that was when they weren't a real thing. Now that they were, they were a threat and extremely dangerous.

You grasp the side of the ship when it shakes slightly as it docks. You head towards the entrance of the ship when you hear the soft hum stir from beside you.

"And, where do you think you're going?" You ask curiously.

"I am coming with you, Captain. Your chances of survival will increase with me accompanying you." He replies.

"I gathered you knew what kind of place Omega is, since it was your idea to come here. You do realize someone is going to try to steal you, right?"

"I am capable of handling myself. Also, while you were asleep I uploaded myself to the ship." Vic answered.

"A failsafe, I'm guessing." You presumed.

"Yes, I can self-destruct this vessel, eliminate all data from it, and return here."

You knew it was pointless arguing so you just nodded and watched as Vic messed with the console to the door. It slid open and you walk out warily; however, having Vic right behind you did assure you, but only slightly. It was still Omega.

You resolve there and then that despite your wariness, you wouldn't let it show. If you did, the surroundings would eat you whole. Subconsciously, you straightened your back and relaxed your shoulders. Your face became a blank slate and carried none of the apprehension you felt.

As you enter the docks, you immediately see why Miranda thought Omega was a pisshole. There was nothing that wasn't marred by the lifestyle of Omega. Every splattered, stained wall depicted some kind of horrible accident. Maybe they weren't accidents.

You head towards the end of the docks. There's a Turian with bright red clan markings leaning against metal cargo boxes. He looks in your direction and does a double take. He shifts his weight and motions you over.

As you come closer you can hear a low whistle coming from the Turian.

"You are definitely…not a delivery person." He chuckles.

He stands up fully and he's a foot taller than you. You narrow your eyes at him.

"Really. What gave me away?"

He motions lazily in Vic's and your direction.

"Aria, is definitely going to want to see you." He motions for you to follow.

"Why would she want to see me?" You ask, but you already knew the answer.

"Dressed like that, you look like you can get into shenanigans. If Aria finds out I let you through on my shift, it's my ass on the line."

You smirked at his response. You follow him down the docks.

"And, what if I don't want to meet her." You state. It came off as impassive.

"Like I said," He put his hand on an assault rifle, "don't get cute."

* * *

DON'T GET CUTE. Don't do it.

Anyways, I decided to update early because I was in the mood. Also, I was having too much fun dropping easter eggs all over my story. Developing the character VIC along with the main character has been a highlight of writing this chapter. I hadn't intended for him to become so cheeky, but I'll run with it.

I was really surprised about all the combos of choices you guys sent my way. Some of them I was expecting, like starting the story at the beginning at 2183, but most of you went the odd route on the years, so I commend you for that. Trying to mix it up. I had to laugh when the majority of the votes were renegade. I think only one person was for paragon...

Anyways, the review box is below, so I'll leave you to it.


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